Filtering by Category: Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy

The Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy® is external bodywork, primarily to the abdomen and back, which helps to restore the body to its natural balance. Arvigo® Therapy does this by correcting the position of organs that have shifted and helping to improve the flow of blood, lymph, nerve and chi (energy).

Arvigo® Therapy can be helpful for many reproductive issues including painful, heavy or irregular periods, fertility health and pelvic organ prolapse. It can also be effective when dealing with digestive issues such as constipation, bloating and IBS.

Arvigo® Therapy for Pregnancy can help promote better labor, delivery and positioning of baby. It can also aid in recovery after c-section or birth loss and during the postpartum period.

Arvigo® Therapy was developed by Dr. Rosita Arvigo, DN based on her apprenticeship with the Maya healer Don Elijio Panti and her own education, training, and research as a naprapathic physician.The Arvigo® Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy combine modern science with traditional healing and wisdom to produce a holistic path to physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.

Arvigo® Therapy professional sessions and self-care are wonderful tools to have for improving and maintaining your reproductive and digestive health throughout your life. Have questions or want to know more? Feel free to be in touch. I'd love to talk with you.

Having a new baby can be wonderful, but it can also be very challenging and taxing. A woman goes through tremendous physiological, psychological and emotional changes during and after childbirth and while caring for a newborn. Postpartum massage can assist in our return to balance and equilibrium and help manage some of the experiences we face after birth and while caring for a baby. Your new addition isn't the only one in need of care and support, so don't forget about yourself mama! These are some of the ways postpartum massage can help you be healthier and feel better:

Decrease muscle tension resulting from labor and birth. While we are in labor and during birth we may be in or hold positions which are unusual for us. We may be maintaining these positions for extended periods and using some muscles differently or more than we do in our day to day functioning. This can leave us with tension and soreness that make our new duties and regular functioning difficult and painful.

Relieve shoulder, neck and arm tension due to breastfeeding, carrying our new bundle of joy, and, oh yes, don’t forget transporting that awkward car seat. We may be sleeping or lying in strange positions as well. All this can leave us feeling tight, tense and out of alignment. Massage can help decrease the tension in our muscles, work out adhesions that may have developed as a result of this tension, and remind our body of more optimal use and positioning.

Provide emotional support and nurturing. This is a big one. Being a mom can be really hard sometimes and it is extremely helpful to be able to ask for help from others. We can get this support and care from friends, family, and yes, our massage therapist and other health care professionals. Massage therapy doesn’t address only our physical health. It is an effective way to improve our mental and emotional well-being. Pregnancy, labor, delivery and parenting can produce emotions and experiences that become stored in our bodies. Working to acknowledge these feelings and emotions, as well as release them from the areas in which they are kept, can help us to feel and be healthier in body and mind. As a mom, time to ourselves and to care for ourselves can be hard to come by. Starting at the beginning of our child’s life to model good self-care is a gift to ourselves and our children.

Promote the return of regular digestive function. Having our organs displaced and temporarily reshaped by our growing baby can really do a job on our digestion. We can experience heartburn, bloating and constipation during pregnancy and after birth. Abdominal massage during the postpartum period can help things return to where they were before pregnancy, both in function and position.

Encourage pelvic and abdominal organs to return to their pre-pregnancy positioning. As mentioned, organs need to move (and sometimes expand - hello, uterus!) during pregnancy to accommodate a growing baby. This includes both pelvic and abdominal organs. Postpartum abdominal massage can help these organs return to more optimal positioning, reducing the likelihood of unwanted reproductive, menstrual and digestive symptoms after birth.

Promote scar healing after C-section. Abdominal massage during the postpartum period, at the appropriate time, can help heal the scar and the underling fascia and tissue in a more productive way. This work can help our bodies to feel and function better in the future by allowing tissues and organs to move more properly and freely.

Reduce stress and promote better sleep. Massage has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety and promote better sleep. During a time when stress and anxiety have likely increased and sleep amount and quality has definitely decreased, we can use all the help we can get to make these aspects of our lives better. We are able to feel better, and enjoy life and our new babies more, when we have better sleep and less anxiety.

Honor yourself by recognizing your body for the tremendous achievement it has accomplished. Pregnancy and birth are incredible feats and you have worked with love and diligence to bring this baby into existence. Take time to acknowledge and appreciate all you and your body have contributed to have your baby here, as part of your family.

Life with a newborn can be a tall order and one that requires all available hands on deck. Your massage therapist who is certified in postpartum massage can be one of those extra sets of hands that help you move more smoothly and with more joy through this chapter of your life. Please feel free to be in touch if you have any questions about postpartum massage or how it can be of help to you. Congratulations on your new addition!

In my practice I generally do not accept tips. The reasons I gratefully and appreciatively ask you not to tip me are the following:

1. I feel the work I do is part of your healthcare and your self-care. I hope you do too. If you don't tip your midwife, dentist, chiropractor or acupuncturist then you don't need to tip me.

2. I have set my fees so that I feel fairly compensated and so that you are receiving a session worth what you pay for with your hard earned money. I am very satisfied with this exchange and hope that you are too.

3. I would love it if you express your appreciation and satisfaction by telling your friends and family about me and what I do. Share with them how bodywork can benefit them and improve their health and well-being. Help me get the word out about reproductive, digestive, prenatal, postpartum and birth loss bodywork by sharing your experiences.

4. I would like you to be able to have massage as often as helps you stay well in body and mind. If you can put the extra money toward another session, spectacular! If you are able to have one more session of bodywork in a year, then that makes me quite happy. I believe it will make you happy too.

Please know that I am very thankful to you for thinking of me, appreciating your massage, and being so generous. I value the sentiment you are sharing and your acknowledgment of me and the work that I do. I, too, appreciate you and the work you have done, and am so thankful that you are my client.

There are a few things I want you to know about working with me. If you have been wondering…

I don’t have judgements about your body. I am here to support and not to judge. I study the way you hold yourself, the tension in your tissues, and the way your muscles, skin and fascia move or don't move. I observe the position of muscles, bony structures and organs under my hands. I don't take note of what your body looks like but rather what it says to you and to me in its wisdom. I listen with ears and hands, and watch how your body responds and reacts. I value what you tell me about your body, your journey and your life. That's all and that's everything.

I won’t talk unless you want me to or I need to check in with you. I have had the experience where my massage therapist talked through my entire session and I did not like it one bit!! I just wanted to relax and enjoy my massage, and be in the moment. Many other people feel the same way. If you don't, and you initiate conversation, then I am more than happy to talk with you during your massage. If you just want to be quiet and relax then I am great with that too. I always assume that my clients like quiet peacefulness unless they tell me differently. It's ok not to talk to me while you have your massage - I will not be offended and your comfort is my main priority. The only time I will initiate conversation while you are on my table is to get feedback about pressure, temperature or something else pertaining to comfort or effectiveness. Everything else can wait until after your well-earned massage.

For a therapist who works with reproductive and digestive issues there is NEVER TMI. Really. I want you to share your complete health history, what is happening for you right now and anything else you want to talk about or feel is important for me to know. Bowel movements - yes. What your periods are like - yes. Emotional challenges - yes - if you feel comfortable. It all matters. We want to have the complete picture so we can work together to improve your digestive, reproductive and whole-person health. So let's talk, and don't make it short. I'm listening.

That’s not everything, so feel free to give me a call or send me an email if you have questions about me, a massage with me or if you just want to have a conversation and see if we are a good fit. That’s ok too. I look forward to chatting with you!

Normally the uterus leans slightly over the bladder in the center of the pelvis, about one and a half inches above the pubic bone. It is held in this position by muscles, the vaginal wall and ligaments that attach it to the back, front, and sides of the pelvis. Uterine ligaments are made to stretch to accommodate a growing fetus inside and to move freely when the bladder or bowel is full. The ligaments and muscles can weaken and loosen, causing the uterus to fall downward, forward, backward or to either side.

A uterus in any of these positions is often referred to as being “tilted or prolapsed" and this positioning can result in many unwanted symptoms such as painful or irregular menstrual cycles and ovulation, headaches and PMS, bladder and yeast infections, constipation, and decreased fertility. Women are often told, "you have a tilted uterus, there is nothing that can be done, or it's normal don't worry about it ". Depending on the symptoms a woman experiences, treatment offered may include the birth control pill, muscle relaxants, or surgery.

Yet women have a laundry list of physical and emotional symptoms that can be addressed and prevented with simple, noninvasive massage techniques. When reproductive organs shift, they can constrict normal flow of blood and lymph, and disrupt nerve connections. Just a few extra ounces sitting on blood and lymph vessels can cause havoc throughout the different systems in the body. By shifting the uterus back into place, homeostasis, or the natural balance of the body, is restored in the pelvic area and the surrounding organs. Toxins are flushed and nutrients that help to tone tissue and balance hormones are restored to normal order. This restoration is essential for healthy reproductive functioning such as painless menses, healthy pregnancy, effective labor and birth.

Who wouldn’t want to have all these wonderful things? If they sound good to you then think about where your uterus might be right now - and if you think she’s somewhere other than were she ought to be - let’s bring her back home.

For more information on the Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy® and how they can help you and your uterus be healthier look here or feel free to send me an email or give me a call.

In seeing clients over the past few months and introducing them to Maya Abdominal Therapy I have realized something; how easily we become accustomed to things being slightly off, bothersome or not in balance. We dismiss things if they hover below a certain threshold. When we live with something every day or every month, and it is not something too severe then we may adapt to it. But should we?
Clients have come to me to experience Maya Abdominal Therapy and learn self-care, thinking they have have no specific issues...

I am off for a week to learn some incredible new massage techniques to help with problems such as painful and irregular periods, PMS, fertility issues, headaches, bladder and yeast infections, constipation and digestive difficulties. These physical and emotional issues as well as many others can be improved or prevented with some simple, non-invasive massage techniques. This magnificent tool to help improve and maintain pelvic and abdominal health is the Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy.

I have already attended the self-care portion of the training and was amazed by how fascinating and enlightening it was. I met some wonderful, soulful and caring women and learned some very valuable information for myself, my family and my clients. How much healthier and happier would we be, as girls and women, if we had access to essential information such as this from an early age? (My “necessary, life changing and fabulous for all girls and women” list would now include Arvigo Mayan Abdominal self-care and Toni Weschler’s book Taking Charge of Your Fertility.) I would highly recommend this class for any woman interested in learning more about her body and how to simply and effectively care for herself throughout her life (and have a restorative weekend to herself). Self-Care Training includes anatomy and physiology of the abdominal and reproductive organs, addresses causes and symptoms of malpositioned organs and demonstrates self-care techniques. These techniques can be used for a few minutes each day to hasten and maintain relief of symptoms provided by the work of an Arvigo practitioner.

I am so grateful to have come across such amazing and transformative work. I am looking forward to learning more about it and to receiving it myself in the coming week (yippee!). I can’t wait to come back to my practice and share it with all of you. In the meantime, do you have anything to add to the necessary, life changing and fabulous for all girls and women list?